Jimmy Torres

Arizona is hot – literally, figuratively and musically, thanks to the heat of 22-year-old Jimmy Torres. A rapper from Tucson who now makes his home in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, his new Bash Town Records release “Cartier Frames, ft. Baby Bash” pairs the trajectory of seductive beats to Jimmy’s staccato lyrical flow: a celebratory sound in tune with the summer season. ​

In the corresponding video, Jimmy’s camera-ready charisma is revealed full frame. “Jimmy getting real, real rowdy,” he promises. Cars do donuts, smoke rises, a crowd dances, liquor is poured, and Jimmy makes moves, resplendent in the eyeglasses referenced in the title. And of course his label’s namesake, the legendary Baby Bash, is in on the action. “I used to be the class clown/Now I’m with Bashtown,” Jimmy proclaims.

Jimmy Torres has packed a lot of living into just over two decades. He grew up at shows, four years old holding a plastic microphone onstage with his father, a local rapper. In his early teens after being spotted dancing at a quinceañera, he was invited to be a part of a show featuring YG as a headliner. “ I was a little 13 year old with colored pants doing crazy dance moves,” he says.

Music came just in time. When Jimmy’s dad was sentenced to prison, a few mentors stepped in to teach him the fundamentals of writing music – how to craft verses, choruses and bridges. “I started focusing. I quit hanging out with the kids from my neighborhood who are all dead or in jail. If it wasn’t for these mentors. I’d be dead or a gangbanger,” Jimmy says.

In 2012, Jimmy’s cousin came into a windfall of cash and planned a concert called ”Swag Fest” featuring Kid Ink, YC and Kirko Bangz. When the construction crew bailed, Jimmy and his friends built the stage from the ground up. It opened new opportunities, and soon Jimmy, age 15, was hanging lights on 50 foot towers, touring with artists like Blake Shelton and Jake Owen, and in Iowa working a show for rock legends Metallica.

But he would face a challenge that would alter his destiny. On an Easter Sunday one of his best friends was shot and died. The day after, Jimmy and another friend went to the local neighborhood center and were playing basketball with what Jimmy calls, “A group of older cholos,” when violence erupted. Jimmy was shot in the face: one centimeter to the right and he would have lost his vision; two centimeters, his life.

“That’s what makes me stay isolated in my world,” Jimmy says. “I stay out of confrontations because this opened my eyes and humbled me down.” He believes that is was the spirit of his departed friend who saved him. “My homie who pushed me away.”

All of these scenarios now drive the music and the intensity of the performance.. “What I’ve learned is to never give up on what you believe in, no matter how crazy the world around you is,” Jimmy concludes. He is an artist whose music reflects his path, his truth, and an absolute drive distilled into an unstoppable work ethic. “Cartier Frames ft. Baby Bash” introduces Jimmy Torres, a compelling performer powered by belief, authenticity, imagination and fire.